Goods to get pricier

RTNN News Desk: The budget for FY 2015-16 is raising duties on imported goods on top of imposing new ones on them, which will hike their prices.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presented his proposals for the next fiscal in Parliament on Thursday.

Imported food items, which will become pricier, are frozen and canned fishes, butter and other dairy products, black tea and betel-nut.

Supplementary duties have been hiked for two-stroke engines for three wheelers, four-stroke engines meant for three-wheelers and motorcycles, seats for motorcycles, tyres and electric battery-powered automobiles.

Prices of different types of batteries, sound recording and reproducing gadgets and software will go up also.

Consumers will now have to pay more for bathroom and kitchen fittings like ceramic-made bathtubs and Jacuzzis, shower and shower trays, wash-basins, taps, sanitary wares made of aluminium and copper, stainless steel-made sinks, kitchen ware and table ware.

Hardware items like paints (enamel, distemper and lacquer), varnish, tube pipes made of cast iron, pipes meant for gas connections with less than 8-inch radius will also be pricier.

Duties on import of imitation jewellery, uncut diamonds, silk-made items and tempered or laminated safety glasses have been also hiked along with small firearms like revolver and pistols.

Supplementary duties on SIM/RIM cards for mobile phones have been raised from 15 to 20 percent.

Completely knocked down (CKD) motorcycles with four-stroke engines also saw their import duty hiked to 45 percent from 30.

Battery-run vehicles importers will no more get the duty-free benefits as the budget imposed a 20 duty.